Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

— Galatians 6:2

Why Small Groups?

RELATIONSHIPS MATTER - We want to assist students in building healthy relationships with other Christ followers and their relationship with God.

SPACE TO EXPLORE/GROW - The faith we hold onto varies. We want to create safe places for students to explore their faith in a time when our lives are changing into adulthood.

CONNECTION TO ADULTS - We believe healthy growth comes from connection to other healthy adults. Our adult leaders desire to build relationships with students to mentor them into adulthood.

Leaders

Zac & Shannon Ballard

Timothy & Hannah Guthrie

Zac, Shannon, Timothy and Hannah are best friends who live blocks away from the Carson-Newman campus. They love hosting students and friends are their homes and look forward to hosting students for small groups. Zac, Shannon and Hannah are all public school teachers, while Timothy works in the admission office at Carson-Newman.

When We Meet and How to Join

Small groups meet on Sunday nights at 6:02 PM at the leader's homes.

College students interested in joining can click the button below. Our small group leaders will be in touch.

Our small group kick off will be September 17th at the Ballard's home. Hope you can join us!

Join a Small Group

College Small Group

Name *

Name

First Name

Last Name

Email Address *

What is one thing you want our leaders to know about you? *

Thank you! One of our awesome small group leaders will respond to you soon!

The college students are coming!!! Every year the month of August just appears after a long (but not long enough) summer and we are reminded to get ready for the students. A new year of college ministry programming begins at the end of August. Our church has been so enthusiastic about ministering to our college students in the past. We want to offer several ways you can prepare with us to minister to them.

Introduce yourself in worship

This might seem unnecessary to mention, but not everyone who walks into our sanctuary is warmly greeted. When we notice a young person attend worship we can simply shake their hand and welcome them to our church. This church has been known to be very friendly and we hope our student visitors feel welcomed each time they come to church.

Invite them to the College Sunday Bible Study class in Room 301

Many of our first time college student visitors walk through the front entrance of the church. Most of the students have never ventured beyond the sanctuary walls, and thus never know where to go for Sunday Bible Study. The College Bible Study class is located in Room 301, one floor above the office. If you have the time, you might even walk the student up to the classroom to help with introductions.

What do we do in this classroom on Sunday mornings? We start off with coffee and drinks, a light breakfast and fellowship. We enter into a time of prayer and then Bible study, led by wonderful teachers.

Prepare a Meal

Speaking of breakfast, we like to feed our college students. Eric runs by Walmart every Sunday morning to pick up the essentials. Each week during the school year, church members prepare a warm meal for the students. These meals can be anything, such as: casseroles, muffins, sausage biscuits, monkey bread, etc. If you are interested in serving a meal to our students one week, you can be in touch with Lea Ann Brummett. She coordinates the meal schedule for each week. This is a great way for individuals or groups to serve our students.

Encourage Students to Fill Out the Welcome Card

You probably hear us each week during the announcements encouraging visitors to fill out the welcome card. This is a great way for us to know who is visiting the church and for us to formally welcome them. Unfortunately, most visitors do not fill out the card. When you get a chance to introduce yourself to visitors, you can go one step further by having a welcome card in your hand to ask visitors to fill out. This gives you an opportunity to remember their name and for the ministerial staff to send follow up correspondence.

Outreach Events

Join us for any of these outreach events to college students. Be in contact with Eric Hasha if you would like to help with any of the following events.

International Student Luncheon - Thursday, August 24 at 12:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall

The “new” international students entering Carson-Newman this fall will be hosted for lunch in our Fellowship Hall. We are expecting approximately 50 students plus some family members, as well as the Global Education staff. We are asking church members to prepare and drop off dishes of food for the lunch. Students especially enjoy vegetables, rice, chicken, casseroles, and fruit. Desserts are welcome too. Please avoid preparing pork dishes. If possible, please bring your dish to the Fellowship Hall by 11:00 am and have your name on your dish if you would like it returned. Our Mission, Evangelism, and International Student ministry team appreciates your assistance.

Several church members, including Eric Hasha will help unload the vehicles of new students and move their things into the dorm room. This is a very brief interaction with the students and families. We will wear a First Baptist Church t-shirt.

Each year campus ministries and area churches are invited to promote their ministries to university students. We will have a table to shake hands, pass out church brochures and get to know students. If you are interested in representing our church, we would love your help.

Hotdog Snack Lunch + Games - Tuesday, August 29 from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm in North church parking lot

In addition to the church welcome center, we will offer a snack lunch to students in our parking lot. This allows us to make a better connection with the students in a relaxed atmosphere. We are seeking members to have conversations with students and to serve the students the snack lunch.

Welcome Back Picnic - Sunday, September 10 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM

We welcome all church members and Carson-Newman students to our annual picnic on the front lawn. We will have pulled pork BBQ sandwiches and drinks. We ask members to bring side dishes, desserts and lawn chairs. Expect yard games and inflatable bounces to add to the fun.

For those who would like to help set up before the event, we will begin at 3:30 pm.

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells his disciples to be good sowers of the Good News in “The Parable of the Sower.” During the week of July 9, our youth were great representations of what it means to be good sowers. Eleven youth and eight adults traveled to Perry County, AL to lead “Seed Camp” for 70+ children. The mission team worked alongside members of Vestavia Hills Baptist Church located near Birmingham, AL. The children we served primarily live in public housing communities surrounding the Marion city district. When the team arrived on that Sunday afternoon, they traveled to four of the housing districts to pass out flyers to the families in order to promote the camp. For many in the group, visiting the neighborhoods was an eye-opening experience into American poverty. Perry County is one of the poorest counties in the state of Alabama; the median income for a household in the county is around $20,200.

The mission team conducted the camp on the campus of Judson College, an all girls four year collegiate institution located in the city of Marion. The camp consisted of a Bible Study time, Recreation, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Engineering, Science, and Creative Writing. The kids were divided into groups based on their completed grade, and many of our youth were the leaders of these groups. Each of the groups traveled to the different learning activities for 30 minute sessions. By the end of the day the children were able to experience the Bible story, breakfast and lunch, recreation, music, and several of the learning blocks. Both the children and the leaders were exhausted once the camp ended at 1:45 PM.

It takes a lot of energy to pull together a camp such as this. The very first and last activity of camp is our opening and closing assemblies. The purpose of these times is to get the kids excited about the day’s camp, as well as pull everything together at the end of each day. Our youth were responsible for leading these portions. They took their Passport camp experiences and used them to help organize and plan the assemblies. They led the children in silly songs, repeat-after-me songs, and coordinated dances. Our youth did an amazing job of building excitement not only for the kids, but also the other leaders at the camp. The assistant coordinator for Alabama Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Lucas Dorion, said, “Your team did a fantastic job at Seed Camp. Your adults and students were well prepared and committed to their jobs. Your team was the best church group I’ve worked within Perry County.”

The opportunity to travel together to serve in Jesus’ name is a blessing because our group gets to put into practice what they’ve been learning all year long. They also get to experience the history and culture in which they are serving. Marion, AL and Selma, AL are two close-by communities that were instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement in the mid-60s. Our youth watched the movie “Selma” one evening and traveled to Selma the next day to walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. They also did a walking tour of Marion to hear about its part in the movement. Getting to see these parts of history in person puts into perspective the racial issues this community has lived with for so long.

The youth mission team to Perry County hopes to find opportunities to share their experience with the church. Church members can also see pictures from the trip on the bulletin board outside the kitchen door.

After the 8:45 worship service on June 25th, fifteen youth and four adults travelled to Passport Choices camp in Greensboro, North Carolina. Upon arriving, they joined other church groups outside for games and mingling before unloading the van to move into their dorm rooms for the week. That evening, they attended an opening ceremony in which they were introduced to the theme song for the week and the staff, including Samuel U C Lian, who served as pastor for the week.

Many of the days throughout the week consisted of the same schedule. Everyone woke up for breakfast before doing a thirty-minute morning devotion. They then attended morning celebration, followed by bible study with their group, and then had a choice course time. Each of the youth was able to request a choice group that best reflected their interests and gifts, including: Grace Notes for those interested in leading worship in some capacity, Curtain Call, which catered to those with an interest in theatre, Huddle Up for those who enjoy playing games, Missions, where they served within the community, Color Palette, which allowed them to express their faith through imagery, and Five Things, which was limited to only high school juniors and seniors. Each day, the youth joined their choice group for lunch and various activities within that group. In addition to the youth’s participation, every chaperone also attended a choice group to assist the staff and youth.

The most impactful was definitely the night where we all gave our honest opinions of each other. It’s really hard for me to open up with others and I honestly have pretty low self-esteem so it was a great way to not only get close with others but also a big confidence boost.

— Jace Mitcham (completed 11th grader)

While this part of the day tended to look the same, evening schedules varied throughout the week. Every night consisted of dinner, worship, and church group devotion; however, there were also nightly parties that took place. After dinner on Monday evening, the youth participated in an outdoor rec party before attending worship. The rec party took place on the football field at Greensboro College. It was in the form of relay races and obstacle courses; the teams competing were comprised of the bible study groups that the youth belonged to. It was a fun and exciting way for the youth to both compete against one another and build camaraderie and relationships with the other groups attending camp. On Tuesday night, there was a costume dance party. The youth were encouraged to wear jerseys from their favorite sports teams. Thursday night was the variety show, which offered an opportunity for campers to showcase their talents and gifts on stage. Katherine Catlett, Reece Ratcliff, Rebekah Garber, and Katelyn Haun represented our youth group by performing a dance routine. While these nightly parties took place on campus among other church groups, Wednesday was a day set aside for time spent with individual youth groups off the Greensboro campus. Our youth and chaperones left after choice time on Wednesday afternoon and drove to the Greensboro Science Center to participate in Sky Wild, a ropes challenge course among the treetops. They then had dinner at CiCi’s Pizza before arriving back at campus in time for worship.

Every night throughout the week, there was a worship service. Each service consisted of a different message; however, it all reflected the theme of the week, Micah 6:8, which calls us to “Do Justice. Love Kindness. Walk Humbly” with God. Alongside the message brought by Samuel was also music and other various visual art that beautifully coincided with the week’s theme. A special aspect of worship was the opportunity that youth had to participate in various opportunities of leadership. Several youth from the church, including Ethan Bloomer, Rebekah Garber, Katherine Catlett, Conner Hawkins, Jacob Knight, and Rachel Bass, were participants in worship.

The youth had an amazing week at Passport and are looking forward to doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God throughout this year.

First Baptist Church has been serving with Appalachian Outreach (AO) for over 25 years both on the mission site and feeding groups in the church's fellowship hall. A group of volunteers dedicated another week of serving June 19-23, 2017. AO is a year-round ministry that seeks to minister to families in four counties including Jefferson, Grainger, Cocke, and Hamblen. During the summer, AO's Home Repair ministry connects churches with local families that need assistance with home repairs. During FBC's AO Work Week our volunteers worked on a home in need of a new deck and ramp. The deck was 5 feet by 7 feet and the ramp was 37 feet long. The team also relocated a smaller deck and the stairs, as well as cleaned and braced the steps at the other entrance. It is our church's custom to present the homeowner with a Bible signed by the volunteers at the end of the project. In total, our FBC volunteers put in 176 hours. The volunteers were Frank Brown, Carey Herring, Leon Shoemaker, Lou Mogavero, Jim Wilson, Mike Dockery led by Ken Morton.

Rev. Ellen Di Giosia was named pastor of Jefferson City’s First Baptist Church following vote by ballot in two services Sunday morning. She will begin her duties on August 1 and preach as pastor for the first time on August 6.

The selection was the culmination of a 17-month process that was accomplished by a nine-member pastor search committee. Those selected to be a part of the search team came from the breadth of the church’s membership, each selected by the Committee on Committees to search for the next pastor. Ninety-four resumes from across the country poured into Jefferson City from the time the position was announced as open in early 2016.

The search committee met weekly at the beginning of the search, and more often from March through May as it winnowed candidates to a short list. Search Committee Chair Joe Dobyns said the group’s faithfulness and trust in the Divine was paramount.

“Throughout the process, we knew that the best thing we could do was to let God lead us,” said the longtime member of First Baptist. “We are honored and humbled that the congregation put their trust in us. We spent time in prayer, as individuals and as a group, and we felt that God was leading us to Ellen, just as we each felt God's call to serve the church.”

“It was a lengthy process, but we were thorough because we were searching for the right candidate,” surmised Dobyns. “As we grew closer and closer to the end, it became clear to us that Ellen is the best fit. The energy and excitement within the church over the weekend was confirmation that she is who we need.”

Di Giosia brims with excitement as she considers the future in Jefferson City, getting to know the FBC family and working with members to demonstrate, she says, “Who we are to the community.”

“I hope that who we are to the community is the presence of Christ. I hope that we are bearers of God’s love to people, whether they see Him the same way we do or not. And I hope that we are part of a larger body, that we are not exclusive, but that we partner with other people of God to create justice in our community and spaces for people to grow in their knowledge of Jesus.”

Di Giosia (pronounced “dee joe SEE ah”) comes to Jefferson City from Woodland Baptist Church, in San Antonio, Texas, where she has been on staff since 2008, and has served as associate pastor of Faith Formation since 2013. In that capacity, she partnered with volunteers to assess and cultivate spiritual formation programs, which included Sunday school as well as seasonal classes and special events. She administered a vibrant family ministry program, planned retreats and facilitated numerous intergenerational ministry opportunities.

She led a six-figure project to update and secure Woodland’s preschool facility, including design, fundraising and construction, along with establishing new security protocols and overseeing parent education. She inaugurated an All Saints Day observance to honor deceased church members and designed a December 21 “Longest Night Service” as a special ministry to those who struggle with grief and loss at Christmastime. Other service includes teaching a beginning ESL class and being part of a peace pilgrimage to Northern Ireland.

She added Faith Formation duties to her work as children’s minister, through which she coordinated Sunday school, extended sessions and seasonal activities, such as PASSPORTkids! camp, VBS, and Christmas gift-making workshops. She has written and delivered children’s sermons, led the construction of a new playground, overhauled the church’s nursery program to better serve children and their families.

Di Giosia has also served as a minister of music and oversaw a pilot project that included providing pastoral care to senior adults and leading worship services at an assisted living facility. Other experience includes directing operations for the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, directing the educations program for the San Antonio Symphony and running her own music studio for several years. She earned a BA in music from Mississippi College, an MDiv from Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary and has pursued studies in clinical pastor education.

She will move to Jefferson City at the end of July, along with her husband Tony, an architect and home designer, and their children, daughter Gemma and son Luca.

Dobyns said an informational survey of the congregation, taken by his committee, and the vote for Di Giosia reflect the doctrinal position of the church, which is dually-aligned with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Southern Baptist Convention. “The vote showed our congregation’s rich heritage of believing that God blesses and calls women to serve. My mom was ordained as a deacon in the church, and we didn't just start that; it's been happening for more than 40 years.”

The new pastor says the journey has already been both informative and affirming.

“I have felt every step of the way supported by the Spirit of God, supported by the search committee, supported by my family and my church (in San Antonio),” she said.

“And now, I look forward to getting to know people, hearing about what they’re doing and finding out more about the mission that is going on here.”

Your Church Advisory Council and Committee on Committees have partnered over the last several months to reconfigure FBC committees and teams. As has been noted, committee slots have been reduced, and certain committees have been changed to teams. Your participation in this survey is vital. It will help us better connect you with how you might best enjoy serving the Lord and your FBC faith community. Below you will find a description of Ministry Teams and Committees. While policy and operational committees remain, many vitally important roles have transitioned to teams, in part to foster innovation and flexibility. We hope the changes will foster excitement and new growth. Along with long-established Ministry Action Teams, the utilization of new teams will also encourage regular attendees to minister and serve, as committee roles are restricted to church members in accordance with FBC's by-laws.

If you would like to serve on a team or are interested in finding out more about a team, please check the appropriate box below each team. Check the ones on which you wish to serve or those you are prayerfully considering. We would appreciate having these surveys returned by Sunday, April 2.

Ministry Teams that Support the Worship and Fellowship of the Church

Name *

Name

First Name

Last Name

Email Address *

Phone

Phone

(###)

###

####

Flowers and Decoration Team (formerly a committee)

Works with staff to decorate sanctuary for worship services, including helping those providing memorials.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Kitchen and Fellowship Team (formerly a committee)

Works in concert with Food Service director to prepare and staff meals and receptions that support the ministry of the church, including keeping the kitchen clean and ready for health code inspections.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Music Team (formerly a committee)

Works with Minister of Music to help identify music leaders and plan special services.

I want to serve on this team

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Ordinance Team (formerly a committee)

Assists in preparing Communion elements, as well as helping with the logistics of baptismal services.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Senior Adult and Historical Team (formerly a committee)

Seeks to minister to senior adults and involve those constituents in ministerial opportunities; also works to maintain our church's history.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Children's Ministry Team (formerly a committee)

Works with the Minister to Children and Families to plan and implement programs.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Student Ministry Team (a combination of the former Youth and University Committees)

Works with the Minister to Youth and College to plan and implement programs.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Greeting Team (formerly the Welcome Committee)

Welcomes members and visitors on Sunday, especially those looking for Bible study classes and other locations.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Welcome Ministry Action Team

Welcomes first-time visitors in the welcome center in the foyer.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Ministry Teams that Support the Service of the Church to the Community

Mission, Evangelism, and International Ministry Team (a combination of two former committees)

Assists staff members in establishing programs to enhance outreach and evangelism, including special missions emphases, the promotion of missions and evangelism, and reaching out to the international community.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Tuesday's Neighbors Team (formerly a committee)

Utilizes selected Tuesday mornings to help local residents in need of financial assistance.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Wednesdays of Wonder (WOW)

Builds one-on-one relationships with elementary school children while helping them with homework, providing a snack, recreation, supper, plus offering music and missions education.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Transportation Ministry Action Team

Provides transportation to the elderly and others for medical appointment and at various other times.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Outreach Ministry Action Team

Ministers to recent visitors and prospects through outreach activities.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Stephen Ministry Team

Affiliated with the national organization of the same name, this group of trained laypersons provides confidential one-on-one care for people who are hurting.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

Bereavement Team

Prepares the meal for church families who have lost a loved one when the funeral is in our area.

I want to serve on this team.

I am interested in learning more about this team and will prayerfully consider serving.

COMMITTEES that Conduct the Business of the Church

(Due to the nature of their areas of responsibility, committee membership is restricted to FBC church members.)

Budget and Finance Committee

Recommends an annual budget to the church and works to ensure the financial well-being of the church.

I am willing to serve on this committee.

Children's Day Out Committee

Determines policies and approves personnel for the Children's Day Out Ministry.

I am willing to serve on this committee.

Committee on Committees

Finds members willing to serve as leaders of ministry teams and/or members of committees.

I am willing to serve on this committee.

Nominating Committee

Staffs all positions and finds leaders for Sunday Bible Study; enlists ushers, missions workers, and other leaders for various church ministries.

I am willing to serve on this committee.

Personnel Committee

Administers all staff relations and recommends policies and procedures for all church employees.

I am willing to serve on this committee.

Property and Transportation Committee

Oversees the maintenance of the building, grounds, equipment, and vehicles.

I am willing to serve on this committee.

Stewardship Committee

Plans and conducts regular stewardship emphases in the church.

I am willing to serve on this committee.

Tellers Committee

Works with church staff to keep records of all church receipts, including tallying and depositing various church offerings.

I am willing to serve on this committee.

Thank you for completing this survey. A member of the Committee on Committees has received your survey and will distribute the information accordingly.

Your Church Advisory Council and Committee on Committees have partnered over the last several months to reconfigure FBC committees and teams. Realizing that the number of committee positions almost equal the number of Sunday worshipers, we have reduced committee slots, along with certain committees.

This structural change will be read for the second time, then discussed and voted on at our next Church Ministries meeting on Sunday, April 23, 2017 at 6:30 pm. Please pray in preparation of ways you can take part and connect with this exciting new endeavor, as you will soon be asked to take a survey gauging your interest(s) and seeking your valued input.

While policy and operational committees remain, many vitally important service and ministry roles will transition to teams, in part to foster innovation and flexibility. New teams will also encourage regular attendees to minister and serve, as committee roles are restricted to church members in accordance with FBC's by-laws.

Below is a list of the committees that are proposed to remain, and the committees that will be transitioned to teams. In addition, there is a document with the proposed by-laws changes. You will notice in the document the original text in black, original text that will be changed in red stricken through, and the updated text in red.

TEAMS

Flower & Decorations

International Ministries

Tuesdays Neighbors

Kitchen

Missions & Evangelism

Music

Ordinance

Preschool & Children's

Senior Adult & Historical

Student Ministries (youth & college)

Welcome/Greeters

COMMITTEES

Budget and Finance

Children's Day Out

Committee on Committees

Nominating

Personnel

Property & Transportation

Stewardship

Tellers

Current Ministry Action Teams that could possibly transition to formal teams:

Welcome - those who welcome first time visitors in the welcome center in the foyer

Transportation

WOW

Outreach

The Challenge of Maintaining a Committee System at FBC

Our committee system is too large for our size church. We currently have 156 committee spots with an average church attendance of 180.

Our committee system allows only church members to serve on a committee. Like every church, we have regular attenders who have not joined the church who are not allowed to serve on a committee.

The committee system requires a 3 year service term. For some people this might be too long of a commitment.

Lack of training over the years has left many committees without a true understanding of their role. Many of our committees do not meet, or meet once a year. Chairs often don’t know how to lead their committee.

Our Proposed Solution

To redefine what makes a committee.

To decrease the total number of committee spots to best fit our church’s size.

To incorporate a team based model, which allows non-members to serve and decreases the service term limit.

FBC WEATHER POLICY

For Wednesday Evening Services:

On days of inclement weather, the staff will make a decision about our services by noon Wednesday (even if the public schools are cancelled). The decision will be posted on the "This Week" page on the church's website and the church's Facebook page. Only if Wednesday evening services are cancelled, will the cancellation also be broadcasted on WBIR TV 10.

For Sunday Services:

On days of inclement weather, the staff will make a decision about Sunday worship services by 7 a.m.. The decision will be posted on the front page of the church's website and the church's Facebook page. Only if Sunday worship services are cancelled, will the cancellation also be broadcasted on WBIR TV 10.

CHURCH DIRECTORY

We've been working for some time on a new directory for our church members and regular attenders. Currently, we have an online directory that is available to those who have filled out a release form. We are one step closer to printing and making the new church directory available to our church members. A first draft copy of the directory will be located in each of the entrances of the sanctuary. As you enter or exit the church for worship, please find your family's information and confirm it is correct. If any information needs to be changed, please mark on the copy with the red pen. If there is any information you do not want published, please mark through it. The deadline to update your information is December 25. The printed directories will be available to pick up by January 1, 2017.

ADVENT DEVOTIONS

First Baptist Church is producing an Advent Devotional written by our own people. The devotions will be made available on the church's website beginning November 27. We hope the devotional will inspire you and your family during this season of anticipation.

Your Pastor Search Committee was commissioned on January 17, 2016. We have met forty four times since that date. The committee has gathered information for creating a community and congregational profile for any potential candidates. We have created a Pastor Profile Survey to gather information from the congregation. We also met individually with many members of the staff to gain their unique perspective of what our next pastor might look like. We have met with other churches that have recently gone through a search process. We have met with the Personnel Committee and the Church Advisory Council. We have also hosted four listening sessions for the church body to discuss church issues and provide input to the search committee. A website has been created for any potential candidates to use. On this page, there is a thirty page document put together by the committee about the church and community. This document also contains the compiled results of the 210 responses we received for the congregational survey. There is also a recommendation form for use by anyone wishing to recommend a candidate. We have received seventy nine recommendations and resumes to date. We are meeting weekly to discuss candidates and move them through our process. Although we cannot discuss specific candidates due to confidentiality concerns, we are encouraged with the quality of the candidates. We are still accepting resumes and will continue to do so until we have a new pastor. We continue to ask that you please pray for us during this process.

As a community shaped by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, we are called to worship God, share the Good News, foster spiritual growth and meet the needs of hurting people.

Since the beginning of August our church family has been faithfully serving our community and neighbors. Faces of First Baptist Church have been preparing and serving meals to others. Take a look at the outreach events and the number served:

Fall Program Kick-Off (8/10) - 100 served Carson-Newman Football Team (8/14) - 160 served Bereavement - 14 served International Student Lunch (8/19) - 80 served WOW on Wednesday - 20 served Hotdog cookout for CNU Students (8/23) - 90 served Baptist Collegiate Ministry Welcome Back Night (8/24) - 90 served Carson-Newman Welcome Back Picnic (8/28) - 90 students served

Collecting this information and sharing it with our church is not meant to give ourselves a big pat on the back. Rather, it is to open our eyes to where people are serving and be an encouragement to future serving opportunities. These service opportunities represent a small area of our giving of time sacrifice. Each day members minister in our community through various opportunities. Thank you for answering God's call to service in your life. May we continue to be the face of Christ and face of First Baptist Church to our neighbors. Thanks be to God.

By Linda Gass

Church Family, You have an opportunity to leave your footprint on our community.

The Mossy Creek Foundation is selling bricks to raise money in order to finish building Festival Park, a place that you can come bring your families, picnic, watch a concert, play on a playground, etc.There are three ways that you can participate; purchase a Veteran’s Brick in honor or in memory of a family member or friend; purchase a Legacy Brick with your family’s names, grandparents names, anyone you wish to honor or remember; and if you own a business, you can purchase a Corporate Brick and have your company’s logo on the brick, showing your community support and providing permanent advertising. Veteran and Legacy Bricks are $50 and $100, Corporate Bricks are $250. And of course if you wish to make a donation we would be happy to talk with you about that also.

There will be brochures for you to pick up from the holders in the halls, or you can contact Linda Gass at 856-356-6014, or any other Mossy Creek Foundation member, for more information.

FRIDAY - YOUTH PACK & PRAY - 6:30 to 8:00 PM - Fellowship Hall The 12 youth and 6 adults will gather in the fellowship hall to pack all of the mission supplies and have a short prayer service. All youth, parents and adults are invited to pray with us as we commission our team to NYC.

NYC MISSION TRIP - July 2 to 9 - 410 W. 40th Street New York, NY Metro Baptist Church is a small congregation serving the community of Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan. Each year they run a camp called C.L.U.E. Camp teaching children from 1st grade to 6th grade in the community. We will be serving in the Brooklyn community at Greater Restoration Baptist Church.

SUNDAY - YOUTH DEBRIEF MISSION TRIP - July 10 from 6 to 8 PM - Dobyn's Home Taking the time to talk through our mission trip is so important for the team and for others in the church. Joe and Donna Dobyns will open up their back yard to allow for the team to talk through the mission experience. All youth and parents are welcome to join. This is a pot luck event and everyone should bring a lawn chair.

Pastor Search Committee Sponsors Listening Sessions

The Pastor Search Committee appreciates all of the input from the survey. We ended up with 210 surveys returned. We have been reviewing all of the results and all of the written comments. While we continue to search for our next pastor, we wanted to provide the opportunity for anyone to speak to the committee and open a dialog with the congregation.

We will be sponsoring some "Listening Sessions." These will be informal discussions regarding our church and future pastor. All sessions are currently scheduled to take place in the fellowship hall. The sessions are spread out to try and provide everyone an opportunity to attend one of the sessions. We hope you will join us for one of these sessions.

First Baptist Church, Jefferson City has a long tradition of hiring interns to serve in our various ministries. We view ministerial internships as opportunities to allow young people explore their calling in ministry and to get their toes wet in church ministry.

This summer, a FBC member, Hogan Brock will serve as our youth ministry intern. Hogan is a senior studying religion at Carson-Newman University. He is engaged to Rachel Clingenpeel, also a senior at CN. Hogan is active as a Faith and Justice Scholar, member of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry and served this past year as a Resident Assistant. His hometown is Rome, GA.

We are excited to have Hogan serve this summer. He will attend the Celebration Singers Choir Tour, Passport Mission camp, and the New York mission trip. In addition to attending these trips he will also help with longterm youth ministry planning, leading devotions, building mentor relationships with our youth and assisting in visitations.

Rachel Clingenpeel & Hogan Brock

Hogan has been suffering with Crohn’s disease for over a year. Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease, which causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract. Every few months Hogan has experienced abdominal pains sometimes sending him to the hospital. The past week has been especially difficult for him. This past week he went home to Rome, GA to have reparative surgery on his intestines. His doctor was able to remove a portion of his intestine that was causing the pain. Hopefully having this surgery will allow him a pain-free remission for the next ten years.

As Hogan comes on board this summer we our church members will get to know him. Church members are encouraged to invite Hogan over for meals and fellowship. If you would like to get in touch with him you may do so through email -hsbrock40@gmail.com

The church cemetery now has an informational sign.

The church cemetery, located behind Sarah Swann Hall on the Carson-Newman campus now has an attractive sign that lists the names of all known persons buried there. It also has a short history of "our burial place" that dates from 1873. Take the time to walk through the cemetery grounds; it is very interesting. Four of our pastors are buried there, as well as several prominent pioneers in the community.

Have you taken the time to familiarize yourself with the church’s mission statement? I like our statement because of its inclusiveness. It makes no difference if you are a young person, fresh on your faith journey, or a member who’s been worshipping in this church for decades, the mission statement is clear. We are all called because of how we’ve been changed in Jesus Christ. As a collective body “we are called to worship God, to share the Good News, to foster spiritual growth and to meet the needs of hurting people.”

Much prayer goes into the planning of the college ministry and youth ministry programs. This year I sensed God was calling our groups to go out and serve. A ministry that I value and have experience with is Metro Baptist Church in New York City. This small congregation actively serves the poor in their community year-round. They serve by feeding and clothing people in their community with their food pantry and clothes closet. They offer fresh food and food education through their rooftop garden, named the Hell’s Kitchen Farm Project. They provide a safe place for children and youth at their after-school program. They do all of these ministries and more, but they do not do it alone. They can’t do it alone. They are a small congregation that offers opportunities for other churches to walk alongside them in their ministry. First Baptist Church, Jefferson City, will walk alongside them this March with our college students and again this summer with our youth group.

I will travel with 7 college students to Metro Baptist Church from March 5-12, during the Carson-Newman Spring Break. As a group, we will participate in the church’s Urban Immersion experience. This experience offers our group the opportunity to serve and learn, and to reflect on mission and ministry in an urban city. This trip will be eye-opening for our college students who mostly come from rural to mid-size towns. This mission trip will also offer our students the opportunity to grow closer to understanding their own sense of calling and response to God's mission. We cannot go on this trip without some expenses. Our college students are only required to pay $200 for their trip. This will pay for some of the necessary expenses like transportation, lodging, the coordination by Metro Baptist, as well as some food expenses. We are asking for more assistance from the church to help pay for the meals and expenses that aren't covered. Donations can be turned into the church office labeled "College Mission Trip." We thank our church and covet your prayers as we serve in New York City.

About FBC

As a community shaped by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, we are called to worship God, share the Good News, foster spiritual growth and meet the needs of hurting people. All we do springs from our passion to be servants of God who joyfully give their time, abilities, and money to facilitate authentic service.